Tuesday, 17 June 2014

Charlotte de Rothschild brings much beauty to the later songs by Gabriel Fauré, on a new release from Nimbus

Gabriel Fauré(1845-1924) wrote over 100 songs
throughout his compositional life; indeed, his Opus 1 consisted of two songs.

The booklet note to a
new release from Nimbus Recordswww.wyastone.co.ukmakes
the point that it is his songs from the period 1860 to 1890 that receive the
most attention, appearing to overshadow his later, perhaps even finer works in
this genre.

This new recording
features Charlotte de Rothschild (soprano)www.charlottederothschild.comand Adrian Farmer (piano) in songs that
date between 1888 and 1919.

NI 5915

Charlotte de Rothschild studied at the Mozarteum in
Salzburg, Austria and at the Royal College of Music in London. She was a
soloist for the Bach Choir with Sir David Willcocks in Exeter, Wells and Truro
Cathedrals, in King's College, Cambridge and at the Royal Festival Hall. She
performed in Mozart's Requiem twice
in the Place de la Madeleine in Paris and was a soloist in Rossini's Petite Messe Solonelle for a recording made in Japan.

Rothschild has recently performed Japanese songs in the
Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and in New York at the Nippon Club. With her wide
knowledge of the song repertoire, from different eras, countries and genres,
she has created themed programmes; the best known being the Family Connections programme which she has
performed all over the world. Some of the concerts took place in original
family houses such as the Villa Ephrussi-Rothschild in the south of France, the
Château de Ferrières outside Paris and in the Rothschild-Palais in Frankfurt
where she presented this programme for Chancellor Kohl on the 250th anniversary
of the birth of Mayer Amschel, the founder of the dynasty.

More recently she performed the "Family
Connections" programme in Mumbai, Athens, and in Geneva with Danielle
Perrett accompanying on the harp. Last year she presented this programme in
Switzerland, Japan, Singapore and the U.K.

One of her recent Nimbus releases, with the pianist Adrian
Farmer, is a double album called The
Songs of Mathilde de Rothschild which showcase the beautiful French and
German songs of her talented ancestor who was a pupil of Chopin. (NI5903/4).

Whilst in America Charlotte and Danielle premièred another
new programme at the National Gallery of Art in Washington given in honour of
the Joan Mirò exhibition. This year her concert schedule will take her to
Japan, Malaysia, Russia and Australia.

Adrian Farmer studied at the Royal Northern College of Music
and Birmingham University, England. He has recorded with Nimbus as early as
1979 before becoming a record producer for the company. He later became Nimbus’
Musical Director and a Member of the Board of Directors.

He has made several recordings for Nimbus including with
Nimbus’ founder, the bass Shura Gehrman and with other artists such as tenor,
Dennis O’Neill, pianists Nina Walker and Martin Jones as well the legendary
pianist, Vlado Perlmuter

Mirages, Op.113
(1919) sets texts by Renée Baronne de Brimont. Charlotte de Rothschild has
a youthful sounding voice that suits this repertoire well. In the reflective,
gentle Cygnes sur l’eau (Swan on the
water), Both Rothschild and Farmer realise so much of the Gallic atmosphere
of this gorgeous song. Rothschild seems to have a natural affinity with these
songs and, with Reflets dans l’eau
(Reflections in the water), she brings a most affective rise and fall,
beautiful y controlled.

In the evocative Jardin
nocturne (Nocturnal garden), de Rothschild shows the varying timbres of her
fine voice, keeping a lovely flow. The striking piano rhythm of Danseuse (Dancer) is finely done with de
Rothschild rising beautifully in the intense moments of this song.

The poet, Paul Verlaine provides the texts for Cinq melodies ‘de Vénise’, Op.58 (1891)
(Five melodies 'of Venice'). The collection opens with Mandoline, bringing a lighter, more sprightly feel, though still
revealing an atmosphere that is more French than Venetian. The calm, gentle En sourdine(Muted) receives a lovely performance, with de Rothschild adding
just a degree of emotion with some beautifully hushed passages. There are some
lovely, flowing passages from Adrian Farmer.

The livelier Green
is brilliantly done, with de Rothschild rising beautifully to the climaxes as
well as all the little nuances. With A
Clymène (To Clymène) de Rothschild again reveals fine control as well as a
variety of subtle timbres or textures that add so much to these songs. With C’est l’extase (It is rapture) this
soprano again shows how she is able to finely shape these songs, responding to
every little subtlety – so French.

Fine control is brought to Paradis the opening song from the substantial song cycle, La Chanson d’Eve, Op.95 (1906-10), (The
Song of Eve) a setting of texts by Charles Van Lerberghe portraying the dawn of
creation. de Rothschild handles the somewhat difficult word setting so well
with some exquisite playing from Farmer. Prima
verba (First words) is another lovely song, beautifully realised by de Rothschild
and Farmer with the text ‘Limpid air of
paradise, With your ruby clusters, With your sheaves of light, With your roses
and your fruits.’ is so well conjured.

The delicate Roses
ardentes (Fiery roses) is a lovely song, sung with fine control, de Rothschild
rising to the climax brilliantly. Both artists handle all the little turns of Comme Dieu rayonne (How radiant God is)
perfectly before a very fine L’Aube
blanche (The white dawn).

After the difficult setting of Eau vivante (spring water), wonderfully realised, we have the no
less challenging Veilles-tu, ma senteur
de soleil?(Are you awake, my aroma
of sun) with its difficult vocal part, so well sung combined with a tricky,
rhythmic piano motive.

The very fine Dans un
parfum de roses blanches (In a perfume of white roses) brings some lovely
singing from de Rothschild before a beautiful performance of the exquisite Créspuscule (Twilight) so sensitive and
full of subtlety. The darker Ô mort,
poussière d’étoiles (O death, stardust) makes an impressive end to this
cycle of songs, with Charlotte de Rothschild extracting so much feeling and
finely accompanied by Adrian Farmer.

There is a softer, exquisite setting of Dans la forêt de Septembre, Op.85. No.1 (1902) (In the September
Forest)to a text by Catulle Mendès,
to which de Rothschild brings much beauty, control, superb timbres and feeling
for the text with exquisite accompaniment from Farmer as, indeed, they do for
the beautiful Accompagnement, Op.85 No.3
(1902) (Accompaniment)to a text
byAlbert Samain.

Le Don silencieux,
Op.92 (1906) (The silent gift) a setting of texts by Marie Closset, is
another harmonically difficult song so well handled by de Rothschild. A text by
Paul Verlaine is again used in Spleen,
Op.51 No.3 (1888), a lovely setting, with a lovely rippling accompaniment, beautifully
sung by de Rothschild – a mesmerising song.

Finally we havea
flowing, joyous La Rose, Op.51 No.4
(1890) set to texts by Leconte de Lisle to conclude this disc.

Charlotte de Rothschild seems ideally suited to this
repertoire, in the gentler songs providing a particularly lovely French,
youthful timbre. Add to this the particularly sensitive accompaniment from
Adrian Farmer and you have a disc that will bring much pleasure.

Adrian Farmer provides excellent booklet notes and they are
finely recorded at Wyastone Leys, Monmouth, UK. Full texts, English
translations and text précis are provided.

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About The Classical Reviewer

The Classical Reviewer has been involved in music for many years, as a classical record distributor, as a newspaper concert reviewer and writer of articles relating to music as well as reviewing for Harpsichord and Fortepiano magazine.

He assisted in the cataloguing of the scores of the late British composer George Lloyd and has co-authored a memoir of his friendship with the composer.

Having a particular interest in British music, he regularly undertakes talks on Elgar.

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